The hunting community is constantly faced with many obstacles. Lawmakers want to alter our gun rights and hunting privileges. Poaching puts a bad reputation on the rest of us. Unethical practices give the general public a bad perception of what we really are. But one thing remains constant to those of us who love the outdoors and the wildlife - we hunt as an alternate and often-misunderstood way of survival. Not to mention the peace that can be obtained when we trade a fast-paced society for the quiet alone time in the woods.
Let's go back to third grade science class. All living things on this planet must consume from another source to survive. Lions must consume from the herds of the African plains. Hawks and eagles must consume from the forest floor. Field mice must consume from the trees and bushes. Vultures must consume from lives already taken. Even plants - yes, plants - must compete with each other and consume from the soil. Nothing survives on "air." So when we hunters get pummeled with the horrid names, the threats, the backlash, and scrutiny from anti-hunters, we have to keep our composure and defend what we do, and why we do it. No living human is innocent when it comes down to consuming food. So here are some reasons why the "innocents" should get off their high horses and respect what we do:
Vegetarians
Yes, even vegetarians play a role in the harvest and loss of wild game across the continent. When large areas of land are cleared to prepare a new soil bed for a new farmer's business in producing broccoli, lettuce, asparagus, soybeans or any other type of vegetable, unimaginable amounts of acreage are taken away from the wildlife. Squirrels and birds lose their trees full of nests. Field mice and snakes lose their habitats in the broomstraw and clover fields. In non-organic farming, thousands upon thousands of pounds of poisons are sprayed into the earth to kill thriving insect colonies, deter the growth of unwanted plants, and repel local wildlife from entering their once-native habitat. Many farmers even seek and allow hunters to come onto their properties and hunt animals like deer and groundhogs to keep them from consuming YOUR vegetables.
Domestic Meat Consumers
The mass-produced domestic meat market has been under fire from many animal welfare organizations for some time. Although the USDA regulates the domestic meat market, there aren't very many regulations on the welfare of the animals that are intended for slaughter. For the most part, these animals are mass-produced, meaning those farmers want to produce as much livestock as possible, in as little time as possible, spending the least amount of money as possible. Put all those factors together, and you get a pretty miserable life for the bovine, swine, or poultry destined for the butcher. The animals are fed hundreds of pounds of unnatural grains throughout their lives and many companies still use growth hormones. They are usually kept in unnatural and unhealthy environments, mistreated, and crowded into extremely confined areas. They are then killed via bolt gun or have their jugulars cut to bleed out, and are then hoisted to be butchered and packaged nice and pretty for your local chain grocer. This fast-paced environment usually involves butchers that don't think twice about the lives they're taking. The exception to this industry that I have personally found is the small-scale local farm that produces grass-fed-and-finished pastured beef, pork, and poultry (including eggs and dairy), and even those that raise their personal stock for their personal use.
Hunters and Wild Game
A deer leaves a thicket of oak trees, full from gorging on the acorns that have fallen to the forest floor. It meanders along a sloping hillside, the rays from the rising sun slowly thawing the frost from the trees. He finds a dry patch of clean leaves, lies down, and breathes in clean, fresh air while he chews his cud for a few hours. Nature is raising this animal the way it was supposed to be raised: free-range, with all the nutrients it needs coming from its natural habitat. When a hunter makes the decision to take a life, it is not as simple as it seems. A certain deer may be chosen specifically to better the genetics of the herd, or it may be the only deer a hunter has seen all season and fresh game is needed in an empty freezer. We truly feel remorse, and a sense of sadness. Once the deer is harvested, many hunters send thanks in prayer, they respect the animal even after death, and they feel a weight lifted because they know that they have fresh, healthy, natural-sourced and sustainable food for their families. And this does not apply only to deer; North America provides a large variety of meats like rabbit, elk, mule deer, bear, doves, mountain lion, pronghorn, ducks and geese, quail, grouse, squirrel, raccoon, turkey, pheasants, opossum, moose, mountain goats, feral hogs and even free-range exotics such as fallow, axis, dall, and ibex.
We hunters get to process our own meats with no chemicals and no growth hormones, and we get to cut them in any style we want, whether it be whole roasts, steaks, or small chops. We make our own sausage, snack sticks and jerky. Simply put:
we like to know where our meat comes from! We truly have the benefit, both health-wise and choice-wise, over normal grocery shopping in the meat department!
SO, YOUR HEART IS BLEEDING for the animals that we hunters consume. Let's take a look at the positive impact hunters have on wildlife versus the nonexistent impact anti-hunters have while rioting against us on social media. Thanks to President Theodore Roosevelt, when a hunter or sportsman purchases firearms, ammunition, and hunting licenses (yes, we PAY to hunt!), all that money goes to conservation agencies to protect habitat, wetlands, and forests from money-hungry land builders. It goes toward the local Department of Natural Resources in your state to set harvest limits on animals, create laws to promote good sportsmanship, and pays our wildlife officers to ensure that we all follow those laws.
In 1900, the White-tailed Deer population was at 500,000. Today, it is at 32,000,000.
In 1901 ducks were far and few between. Today, they are estimated to be at 44,000,000.
In 1907, the Rocky Mountain Elk population was at 41,000. Today it is over 1,000,000.
In 1900, the Wild Turkey Population was at 100,000. Today, it is at 7,000,000.
And just 50 years ago, the Pronghorn population was at 12,000. Today...1,100,000.
Yes, all of those pitiful thousands turned into healthy MILLIONS thanks to responsible conservation practices and contributions by hunters and sportsmen. So the next time you see a happy herd of deer, a swimming flock of wood ducks, or a playful pair of foxes, be sure to thank a hunter!
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